How to Adding Trinkets and Accessories to Homecoming Mums

High school football season makes us think of fall, fun and homecoming. Part of the homecoming festivities are the homecoming mums. The price of buying a mum is high; so many people are now making, accessorizing and adding their own trinkets to their homecoming mums. Learn how you can add accessories to a homecoming mum that some lucky young lady will be thrilled to wear.

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Things You'll Need

1 silk mum, usually white

2 round paper mum backs

Variety of ribbons

Trinkets, charms and small toys

Hot glue gun

Stapler

Instructions

1

Decide what length your homecoming mum will be. Some schools or organizations have guidelines on the length of the ribbons on the mum, which can be 18 inches for a shorter mum or up to 60 inches for a longer mum. This will be the length that you will cut all your ribbons.

2

Cut your ribbons to the desired length and lay them out on a table. Use 2 main colors, such as your school colors, for your basic color scheme. If you have a school color of red, then use red and white ribbons. Have a variety of widths of ribbons as well. Be creative in your ribbons by using the basics and adding in stripes, polka dots and plaids all with the same color scheme. In addition, add a little glitz to your mum by having either silver or gold metallic ribbons or a honeycomb type metallic ribbon included. A 3-inch wide, gold or silver honeycomb ribbon makes a nice backdrop for the ribbon.

3

Add stick-on letters to your ribbons at this point. You might want to spell out the school name, girlfriend's name, "nickname" or the name of an organization they are involved in at school. Add the letters on the lower 3/4 portion of the ribbon.

4

Tie charms or toy trinkets to thin strips of ribbon, so that the trinket or toy dangles towards the bottom edges of the ribbons. Do not make these ribbons too long. Football helmets, good luck charms, small bells, plastic footballs, pom-poms, cheerleading megaphones and musical instruments are just a few of the types of trinkets tied to ribbons on homecoming mums.

5

Staple the ribbons in the desired layout on to the paper mum backing from the front to the back. Add a few extra staples to make sure that everything is secure. It's a good idea to add a little hot glue along the tops of the ribbons for extra holding power. Also, staple the edging, if desired, around the outer edges of the mum. These can be loops or curls of cloth ribbon or even the more glitzy honeycomb ribbons.

6

Spread hot glue around the circular portion of the paper backing and immediately put the silk mum in the center. Press the silk mum down onto the hot glue. The plastic center of the mum should go through the hole in the middle of the mum back. Add more glue and staples around in the under petals of the mum to secure it to the backing. Glue the second backing to the back of the first backing to hide all the staples and protect the clothing of whoever wears the mum.

7

Glue accessories or trinkets on to the center of the mum. Small teddy bears, football helmets, hearts, small photo frames or football numbers made of metallic pipe cleaners all look great in the center of the mum. Add a few staples wherever needed or touch up with glue and you've got an outstanding homecoming mum.

Tips & Warnings

Spray the silk mum with a light coating of spray-on glitter glue to give it a little extra sparkle prior to attaching it to the backing.